314 TORRES STRAITS. 



Most of the birds of Cape York are constantly migrating, 

 and the resident official at Somerset told me that the constant 

 change from month to month of the birds seen about his place 

 was most astonishing. The Torres Straits Islands serve as 

 resting places for the birds crossing from New Guinea ; Booby 

 Island is evidently thus used, and the number of its land-birds 

 is thus to be accounted for. 



This island corresponds thus in this respect with such an 

 island as Heligoland in Europe, which is a well-known halting- 

 place of birds of passage, and at certain seasons swarms with 

 land-birds, resting on their journey, so that ornithologists visit 

 it to procure the rarest of birds. Heligoland also, like Booby 

 Island, is almost devoid of trees, and the birds have to pitch 

 there in the potato-fields. Upwards of 300 species of land- 

 birds rest on the island, which is a point in the direct lines of 

 migratory flight.'^' 



A small cleft runs up into Booby Island, and nearly across it, 

 and, affording shade and shelter, allows of the growth of a 

 small thicket of a shrub-like species of fig. Besides these 

 shrubs the island has little vegetation, except scanty grass, and 

 about half a dozen species of herbs. Amongst the branches of 

 the figs, lives a most beautiful Fruit-Pigeon {Fti/ijiopus superdus), 

 with head of a brilliant purple, the body green, and shoulders 

 red. A Painted Quail (Tiirnix melanonotus)^ was found amongst 

 the grass. The other birds which I saw or shot were a Land- 

 rail, a Mound-bird {Alegapodius tiimidus), a Bee-eater {Merops 

 ornatiis), a Zosterops (Z. liiteus), very like Z. flaviceps of Fiji, 

 a Pachycephala, a Kingfisher {Halcyon sancta), and a thrush- 

 like bird, of which I saw only one specimen. 



The Pigeon seems to be a permanent resident in the island. 

 The Megapodius astonished me most ; I did not know that the 

 bird possessed powers of flight sufficient to take it to such an 

 island ; it must have been migrating. The fact no doubt 

 explains the occurrence of species of Megapodius in various 

 Pacific Islands. Sometimes the quails are present in Booby 

 Island in enormous numbers. On August 13th, 1841, the 

 officers of the "Beagle" shot on it 145 quails, 18 pigeons, 12 

 rails of two species, and 3 pigeons, f 



The Pigeon and the Rail were procured for the first time 



* J. F. Naumann, " Ueber den Vogelzug mit besonderer Hinsicht auf 

 Helgoland," s. 18. Rhea, Leipzig, 1846. 



H. Seebohm, " Supplementary Notes on the Ornithology of Heligoland,' 

 Ibid., 1877, p. 156. 



f " Discoveries in Australia. Also an Account of Capt. Owen Stanlej-'s 

 Visits to the Islands of the Arafura Sea," Vol. II., p. 329. By J. Lort 

 Stokes Commander. R.N. London, Boone, 29, New Bond Street, 1846. 



